This is him
by Chandramukhi
Summary: Rendition of one of the final cutscene from 358/2 Days, before the battle against Xion. One-shot.


**Author's note: **Well, here is my first KH fanfic I'll post here. It's just the rendition of a cutscene in 358/2 Days, the one just before fighting Xion. I have always found this scene very powerful and striking - even only for the fact that Xion's face was turned into Sora's. I know it's not original, but it's one habit of mine. There are actually several other fanfics (even if they are not KH ones) that I wrote which only rendered a scene (which struck me) into words. I have always liked doing that because writing such kind of scenes allows you to _live_ it and I have always loved that feeling. It just makes you something more than a spectator.

I had such a hard time choosing a title. I just had no idea, and I'm definitely not happy with the one I chose. I find it lame... but well, I had to choose one after all so I did.

I hope there are not many grammar or spelling mistakes. I apologise if you find some (and if you do, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to correct me, haha). English is not my native language so obviously, the writing can be not very much natural to me sometimes. Anyway - I hope you'll enjoy reading it. :)

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><p><strong>This is him<strong>

The town was bathed in the reddish light of the sunset. The wind silently hushed into its lazy and quiet streets. It was a beautiful late afternoon.

He wandered into those streets for a while, in search of one place where his heart could feel at ease. He shook his head. He was being so silly. He had no heart… yet why did he feel so lonely? Why did it feel so sad?

"Slow down, Hayner…"

Voices suddenly snatched him out of his thoughts. He raised his head and noticed three quite familiar figures coming to a halt few meters away. He backtracked, for he did not wish to be seen, and merely watched from afar. He remembered them: Hayner, Olette and Pence. The latter stooped, trying to catch for breath. The other boy smirked.

"You know the rules!",said a victorious Hayner. "Last one there buys ice cream!" Pence protested.

"What? Not this again!" He sighed.

"If you don't want to shell out," teased Hayner, "I suggest you get running."

The blond turned over and ran again, his two friends followed close. Roxas had a small smile on his face. _"I guess… not all friendships fall apart". _His eyes were burning as if something wanted to come out of them, to break free. He did not understand what it was, but he still repressed the envy. His hands gripped his dark cloak out of frustration… He remembered Axel and this impression of betrayal he felt. _He felt… _The grip on his cloak tightened. His mind pleaded, pleaded for all this to stop. His eyes turned to the reddened sky and fell onto the clock tower, which dominated the skyline. He knew where to go. It was as good a place as any.

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><p>The sunset was as beautiful as it could be, but yet everything felt different. The height of the clock tower allowed him to have a sight on whole Twilight town and the landscapes away. The wind teasingly brushed his hair and, in the same time, helped him to keep repressing the painful and constant burning in his eyes.<p>

Something inside him gradually got used to this loneliness and melancholy. He brought his legs closer to his chest. All this was funny, really.

"Where did I think I could go?", he said, chuckling. He buried his head into his lap. "What a joke."

Of course, the only place where he had ever felt at ease was here. The clock tower, which would always face the twilight, was the place that witnessed every happy memory he possessed.

He heard someone coming and sitting next to him. He was probably imagining things… Who would come here now? He turned his head to the place the sound was coming from…

"Xion!" His legs and arms separated in surprised and he sat properly. The hood of her cloak hid her face but he could recognise her figure anytime. In response, she handed him an ice cream, those they would always eat in this very place after work. Roxas felt all warm inside and smiled. He_ still_ did have a friend, after all.

"Thank you…"

He looked at the sunset again and started to eat his ice cream silently. They never needed to talk to appreciate those moments.

Nevertheless Xion broke the peaceful silence.

"Roxas. I'm out of time." Puzzled, Roxas glanced at her. What could she possibly mean?

She slowly stood up and lowered her hood. His eyes widened in shock.

"Wh-," he gaped.

"Even if I'm not ready," her voice sounded determined. "I have to make this choice." Her voice paused, her breathing got harder. "You have poured so many memories into me, given me so much," she put her hands on her chest as if she wanted to grab a heart, a heart that she was not supposed to have, "that I feel like I'm about to overflow."

His mind was blank. That face…

"Look at me, Roxas. Who do you see?" But he did not want to see…yet he could not hold his eyes back from that face. "If you see somebody else's face… a boy's face… then that means I am almost ready. This puppet will have to play her part."

The boy brought his arms to his side and slightly raised his eyes to the sky, a sad smile on his_ face_, a face he dreamt about so many times. The face of a boy definitely linked to him.

Yet, it was still _her_ voice that said his name again.

"Roxas…This is _him_," The boy looked at him. He had deep and vivid blue eyes. "It's _Sora_."

Sora… A name he had remembered only few days ago. A name that, he felt, was the truth, the truth he so desperately wanted to reach. He just knew that name was the key, the key to the door which would reveal everything he ever wanted to know.

The boy smiled again and stepped out of the clock tower. _Watch out! _Roxas wanted to scream but no sound would come out. He was still in shock. He clumsily raised himself to his feet, afraid that _he_ would fall. The boy, however, did not and slowly moved forward as if an invisible ground below him existed. He came to a halt, lifted his hood over his head and turned to face him.

"You're next, Roxas." Xion's voice suddenly sounded threatening. "I have to make you a part of me, too." The boy pointed his finger at him. Roxas could see his maddened blue eyes flashing through the darkness of the hood, and noticed the shadow of a cruel smirk. Her voice did not sound human anymore.

"Don't you see? _This is why I was created._"

Everything went dark.


End file.
